DATA of Plano to dedicate its first sefer Torah this Sunday
We welcome hearing from Laurel Ornish, who tells the TJP: “The Plano branch of DATA, the Dallas Area Torah Association, will hold a ceremony on Sunday, June 22, at 1 p.m. at the DATA of Plano Center to dedicate its first-ever sefer Torah. The entire community is invited to attend.
“The center is located at 3198 W. Parker Road, Suite 3124, Plano, between Half-Price Books and Firestone Tire.
“The event will feature inspiring talks, dancing with the Torah and refreshments.
“The Torah scroll, to be named the ‘Verschleisser Family Torah,’ is a gift from Moshe and Annette Nudell of Baltimore, Md., in honor of Mrs. Nudell’s parents, Shmuel and Sarah Verschleisser, and in memory of her brother, Moishe Verschleisser. The Nudells are the parents of Mrs. Shifra Robkin, wife of DATA of Plano Co-director Rabbi Yogi Robkin.
“The ceremony will signal the beginning of a new era at DATA of Plano, which has experienced tremendous growth since it was founded five years ago by Rabbi Shimshon and Sara Silkin and, most recently, Rabbi Chanoch and Sarah Oppenheim.
“‘The Oppenheims took a core group and developed it into a community,’ says Rabbi Nesanya Zakon, co-director with Rabbi Yogi Robkin of DATA of Plano. ‘Getting a Torah means that we can hold regular, weekly Shabbos services. Young families are moving into the neighborhood to be part of DATA, and we hope it will become another successful, full-blown Jewish community like the ones south of LBJ and in Far North Dallas.
“‘We’re committed,’ he adds, ‘to stemming the tide of the spiritual holocaust that has occurred in the U.S. by creating a new generation of connected Jews.’
“Along with Shabbatons every three weeks, DATA of Plano currently offers several ongoing classes, including three classes for men: a Sunday-morning Tefillin Club, a Monday-night Talmud class and a Wednesday lunchtime class on personal development. A four-week series for men and women on Tuesday evenings, ‘Secrets to a Stress-Free Life,’ began June 3. Additional programs for the whole family will be added in late summer.
“For more information, call Rabbi Zakon at 214-987-3282, ext. 102.
“DATA of Plano is a branch of the Dallas Area Torah Association. Since its founding in 1992, DATA has become the premier Jewish learning institution in North Texas, providing classes, special events, ongoing programs, personal guidance to individuals and couples and other means to impart Torah wisdom to Jews of all backgrounds and levels of observance and of all ages.
“Eight rabbinical couples make up the DATA faculty service to over 600 Jews a week. Classes are offered at three DATA locations – 5840 Forest Lane in North Dallas, 3198 W. Parker Road in Plano and 16818 Thomas Chapel Road in Far North Dallas – as well as at area businesses and synagogues.”
Jewish Family Service installs new board officers and members
On May 27, Jewish Family Service hosted its annual meeting at Congregation Tiferet Israel with about 200 in attendance. The meeting included the installation of incoming officers: President Robin Sachs; President-elect Todd Chanon; Vice Presidents Steve Fisch, Cheryl Halpern and Ed Jerome; Treasurer Randy Colen; and Secretary Barbara Friedlander, and the installation of new board members: Richard Bernstein; Jonnice Berns; John Thomas Carlo, M.D., MSE; Sheri Goldberg; Ann Irvine; Michael MacAdams; Rabbi Debra Robbins; and Kathryn Tobolowsky. The evening also included a tribute to outgoing President William N. Roth, a special thank-you to Muriel and Ralph Pinkus for their generous and significant donation of land made to Jewish Family Service’s endowment, and a keynote presentation by Ambassador Enriqué Hubbard Urrea, consul general of Mexico.
“It has been a privilege to work with Bill Roth these past two years,” said Executive Director Michael Fleisher. “Bill is a person who makes and nurtures connections. It’s no surprise that during his tenure, we expanded our services, increased budgeted dollars for quality improvement and launched our Ambassadors Program – a program of outreach and education.”
Incoming President Robin Sachs has been involved with Jewish Family Service for more than 30 years. “As a second-generation Dallasite, I have a deep connection to this place and to this community. It matters deeply that my hometown is a place where we take care of each other, and it’s important to me that Jewish Family Service is consistently here for people in need. I want to do my part to help ensure that this will happen,” she says. “I very much look forward to working with Michael Fleisher, the staff, and board to make this happen.”
Jewish Family Service provides mental-health and social services to children, teens, adults and families without regard to religion, ethnicity or ability to pay. For more information, please call 972-437-9950 or visit www.jfsdallas.org.
Shearith preschoolers graduate
On May 30, Shearith Israel Preschool celebrated its second graduation class. Three out of the four graduates have been at the school since they were babies and toddlers. The program began with the students giving money to charity and lighting the candles to symbolically welcome the Sabbath. The children of the pre-K class were joined by their younger schoolmates to present a medley of Sabbath prayers and graduation songs to the families and guests. Rabbi David Glickman, congregational rabbi, spoke to the graduates about the value of getting a good preschool education. He compared their schooling to setting roots in the ground like a tree. This was very significant since the graduates’ families donated a Texas Redbud tree in honor of the preschool staff.
A special presentation was then made to Mrs. Sheri Rosen for her work as preschool education committee chairperson. In addition Elizabeth and Michael Brothman were recognized for their innovative idea – the Truck Time fundraiser. Elizabeth and Michael spent hours working on this project for the last four years. They were presented with an engraved Miriam’s Cup water glass.
The program concluded with the awarding of diplomas to Trever Brothman, Meira Sullum, Alex Sheena and Ava Wolfe. The graduates were accepted to kindergarten at Greenhill, Hockaday, Haggar Elementary and Akiba Academy.
Mazel tov to the graduates and their families.
Golf tournament raises over $50,000
Over 200 golfers, both children and parents, gathered at Top Golf in Dallas May 18 to participate in the first annual Equity Bank End of Schoolyear Bash! miniature golf tournament. The event raised over $50,000 and all proceeds went to the Gladys Golman/Faye Dallen Education Fund.
The Gladys Golman/Faye Dallen Education Fund was created by Louis and Robin Zweig when they were faced with the challenge that their son David, who has Asperger’s syndrome, might not be able to celebrate his bar mitzvah. The Zweigs discovered that there was a glaring need in Dallas to train and educate the city’s religious-school teachers to enable children with learning differences to be successful in their classrooms.
The fund finances educational seminars and training days, and focuses on helping teachers and religious-school leaders develop classroom strategies for learning differences such as autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia and other neurological disorders.
Mazel tov, mazel tov
Congratulations to Susan and Allen Luterman on the birth of their third grandchild and first boy. Harrison Samuel Luterman was born on April 30, 2008 in New York City to Nikki and Stephen Luterman, weighing 7 lbs. 6 oz. and measuring 21 inches long. He joins his sister, Chloe Olivia, 3 years old.
Added congratulations to Susan Candy Luterman on being elected vice-president of the International Association of Hebrew Free Loans. Susan was the first woman president of Dallas Hebrew Free Loan, 2001-2002, and her husband, Allen, was international president, 2001-2002.
Chuck Smith Re-elected Beth Torah president
Chuck Smith was re-elected for a second year as president of Congregation Beth Torah at the synagogue’s annual meeting in May.
The vote by acclimation also installed the synagogue’s leadership for the coming year. They include vice-presidents: Liz Cox, executive; Vikki Silvis, financial; Lyn Jacobs, education; Neil Burnstein, ritual; Mark Kreditor, development; Bennett Robinson, membership and Tony Tello, secretary; and Mark Machbitz, treasurer.
The new at-large board members are Eileen Kessner, Elizabeth Stein, Gilda Daniel, Andy Shane and Scott Bennett. The entire board will be installed in a special ceremony during High Holiday services.
The synagogue also honored its outstanding volunteers of the past year: Gilda Daniel, Tony Tello, Arny Felner, Larry Guzick, Marilyn Guzick, Barbara Rosen, Rusty Dworkin, Michael Precker and
Marty Barenblat.
Anshai Torah’s 2008-2009 Executive Board
Congregation Anshai Torah has installed Debbie S. Katz as president for 2008-09. Also serving in the coming term are Neil D. Rubinstein, immediate past president; vice-presidents Stuart Rosenfield, executive and Kathryn S. Kaplan. Others are Nancy Rabhan, Michael Roy, treasurer; Harvey Wine, financial secretary; Suzy Harmon, recording secretary and Michelle Meiches, corresponding secretary.
Liener Temerlin denotes business history to SMU
Advertising legend and humanitarian Liener Temerlin, a member of the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame, has donated to the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University his collection of business papers chronicling most of his 56 years in the communications business as well as his remarkable philanthropic history.
Temerlin’s donation joins other significant collections of business papers at DeGolyer from such notable sources as Stanley Marcus, JCPenney, Roger Horchow, Ebby Halliday, and Texas Instruments. The donation was presented at an evening reception on, May 14 in the DeGolyer Library attended by Dallas business and philanthropic leaders.
“We are simply delighted to add Mr. Temerlin’s collection to the growing business history archives at DeGolyer Library,” said Russell Martin, the director. “His collection is virtually a walk through the Fortune 500, from American Airlines to Zale Corporation, account by account. The Temerlin papers will be useful for both teaching and research, for students of advertising and for historians of American culture as well. In addition, the voluminous files of correspondence help to delineate the character of Mr. Temerlin. His gift for friendship and his creative genius emerge in the papers.”
“We are excited to receive this collection of business records,” said Dr. Patricia Alvey, Distinguished Chair and Director of the Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU. “Liener’s reputation in winning and keeping clients is remarkable. For our faculty and students to have access to a 50-year record of that success is remarkable. The original pitch wherein he won the American Airlines account is legendary. And the resulting 30-year history of building that business and many others will make great research fodder for both practitioners and scholars. According to the appraisers of business archives of this nature, ‘No others are of the completeness of the Temerlin Archives. Also, it will be no surprise to you none are so well organized.’ This collection came to SMU perfectly ready for immediate use.”
Temerlin began his career in advertising in 1953 as a copywriter for Glenn Advertising, a small agency in Dallas. For the next several decades, he guided the company as it grew and, with acquisitions and mergers, changed names many times, evolving from Glenn, Bozell & Jacobs to Temerlin McClain. He is widely credited with helping to bring, for the first time, major national and international advertising accounts to Texas and the Southwest, including American Airlines, Armour, Bank of America, Bell Helicopter Textron, Bennigan’s, Centex, Cessna, Chili’s, Continental Bus Lines, Dial Corporation, Entrust, ExxonMobil Corporation, Greyhound Corporation, GTE (Verizon), Halliburton, Hyatt Hotels, Long John Silver’s, Max Factor, Nationwide Insurance, Nortel Networks, Overhead Door Corporation, Pace Picante Sauce, JCPenney Corporation, Philippine Airlines, Pfizer, Quaker Oats, Sara Lee Apparel, 7-Eleven, Steak and Ale, Subaru of America, Terminex, Tone Soap, Texas Instruments, Trailways Bus Company, Warner Lambert and Zale Corporation.
Papers relating to many of these accounts are included in the archival gift. Researchers should be able to use parts of the collection by the fall semester of 2008.
The collection incorporates material from the 1953 through 2000, including Temerlin’s daily correspondence files over a period of two decades. Also included are numerous TV commercials, layouts for ads that were both accepted and rejected, and new business presentations, both the successful and the fruitless.
To meet the needs of expanding retail clients like Hyatt and Philippine Airlines, Temerlin opened offices around the world, in Europe, Asia and North and South America. This national attention began to help other agencies procure talent and corporate clients from outside Texas and the Southwest, which, in turn, helped Dallas become one of the premier agency centers in the country. Under Temerlin’s leadership the agency became not only the largest agency in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, but in the Southwest.
In addition to his business accomplishments, Temerlin also has a long-standing reputation for his civic and community involvement. He has received numerous awards and special recognition for his contributions to advertising, the arts, and philanthropic programs, including the Linz Award and the Silver Cup Award. He served as president and chairman of the Dallas Symphony Association and chaired the opening fortnight of the new I.M. Pei-designed Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. He also serves as chairman, festival director and founder of the annual AFI DALLAS International Film Festival.
Included in the collection are papers and marketing plans on a number of his pro bono activities, an example of which is the American Film Institute. The papers reflect not only his leadership role with AFI DALLAS during the past two years but also with the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, where he served on the Board of Trustees from 1989-2002, the Executive Committee from 1989-99 and the Board of Directors from 1989-2000. In 1989 he developed the “100 Years, 100 Movies” concept of AFI celebrating the centennial of the motion picture. His idea and marketing plan set the stage for AFI’s enhanced national profile, and brought distinction and major financial gains to the organization, totaling more than $15 million to date. It was Temerlin who developed the “100 Best” concept celebrating the 100th anniversary of American film: The 100 Best Movies, The 100 Best Stars, The 100 Best Laughs, The 100 Best Thrills, etc. When he retired from the Board of Directors in November 2000, the AFI Board made him an Honorary Trustee of the American Film Institute, a first in the AFI Board’s history.
Liener Temerlin’s relationship with SMU dates back more than 20 years. He has served as a member of SMU’s Board of Trustees, the Committee on University Development, and the Executive Board of the Meadows School of the Arts. When Temerlin was on the Madison Council of the Library of Congress, he was instrumental in bringing the Judaica Collection to the Meadows Museum, which was the most successful exhibit at the museum up to that time. In 2001, his friends and associates joined with SMU to honor him by endowing SMU’s Advertising program, which was renamed the Temerlin Advertising Institute (TAI). It has since become a nationally recognized program for advertising education.
Andy Cohen honored with Etz Chaim Award
On Wednesday, May 14, Ann and Nate Levine Academy honored past board president and alumni parent, Andy Cohen, with the Esmé and Errol Jacobson Etz Chaim Award. The award, instituted in 2005, was established to recognize Esmé and Errol Jacobson, who embody the highest degree of generosity, kindness, compassion and commitment to our community. All recipients of the award must possess those same qualities.
This year’s honoree, Andy Cohen, personifies the ultimate Etz Chaim Award recipient. As Rabbi Stefan Weinberg of Congregation Anshai Torah stated in his remarks that Wednesday night, “Andy … has taught us to live by [the] principle, you are what you do and not what you say. You earn your place in this world by the actions that characterize your daily activities. You demonstrate leadership by accepting challenges and acknowledging that every one of us is human and (we are) imperfect reflections of God.”
Andy’s commitment to action is evident in the numerous leadership positions he has taken locally and nationally. His involvement at Levine Academy includes serving as president of the school board and vice president of education, and serving as a member of the executive committee, board, liaison committee and fundraising committee. In addition, Andy served as a vice president and board member of Congregation Anshai Torah. He is currently serving his second and final term as president of the Solomon Schechter Day School Association.
While never seeking recognition for his work, Andy was honored and humbled by this award. “I remember when this award was created. The Jacobson family has been a part of our school since its very beginning,” Andy stated. “Errol and Esmé have distinguished themselves as true leaders and custodians of our school. As I have mentioned to some of our friends over the past few weeks, any time my name is used in the same sentence as (those of) Esmé and Errol, I am clearly better for it.”
According to Andy, when one accepts a leadership role, one must accept the significant responsibility that comes along with that role. Leaders serve as role models to our children and to our community. “Everyone who accepts a leadership position – whether it be as officer, board member or president – must work diligently for the success of the entire organization,” Cohen stated. “It is the example we set, it is the path we’ve chosen to walk in order to make this community a better place for ourselves, our families and our future generations.”
Andy and his wife Karen have three children – David, Emily, and Jessie – all graduates of Levine Academy.
Rabbi Schlesinger on science and religion
Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger, head of the Dallas Community Kollel, was the final speaker in a recent three-part series presented by Metroplex Breakfast Dialogues, of which the overall title was “Science and Religion: Enemies? Friends? Partners?” Rabbi Schlesinger concluded the series with “Evolution and Public Policy.” Earlier speakers were Dr. Arnold Paddock, science professor at Richland College, on “Perspectives for Relating Science and Religion,” and Dr. Dan Foster, internal medicine professor at UT-Southwestern Medical School, on “Issues in Medicine, Faith and Public Policy.”
Bernie Mayoff, who regularly attends the Dialogues programs, reported, “All three speakers essentially said that science deals with ‘how’ the world and people come to exist, while religion deals with the ‘why’; because of these different realms and different questions, there is no conflict.”
Mayoff continued, “It was particularly interesting to hear Rabbi Schlesinger the month after Dr. Foster, a Presbyterian and member of the National Academy of Sciences. They had not heard each other speak before, but they said almost the same thing, in almost the same words!”
The rosh kollel based his talk on a letter written in 1905 by Abraham Isaac Kook, who was the first Chief Rabbi of modern Israel – even before the state was officially declared. The letter was Rabbi Kook’s response to a correspondent who questioned whether Judaism accepted evolution or took a literal view of the stories in Genesis. After considering the question from several angles, the rabbi answered that Judaism accepts scientific findings while generally viewing the biblical tales as parables.
Metroplex Breakfast Dialogues began in 2002 as a place for addressing local and global issues, including peace and justice, in a congenial atmosphere. Open to all, the group meets monthly for a buffet breakfast, speaker presentation and discussion at Canyon Creek Country Club, Richardson. For more information, e-mail metrodialogues@yahoo.com or call the group’s founder, Jerry Middents, at 214-369-1981.
Prof. Simon Sargon honored with teaching award
Folks everywhere remember Simon Sargon’s long successful association with Temple Emanu-El’s music department. Recently, Sargon, professor of music at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts, was named the 2008-09 Meadows Foundation Teaching Professor. The award is presented annually to a tenured Meadows faculty member for a “sustained commitment and dedication to teaching at the highest level,” and is one of the most important awards bestowed by the Meadows School. The award carries an honorarium of $5,000 for the faculty member and another $5,000 that may be used for professional needs, support for creative work, research or teaching.
Sargon, who has taught at SMU since 1983, is a highly acclaimed composer, conductor, coach, pianist, lecturer and devoted teacher. In presenting the award, Meadows Associate Dean Greg Warden said, “Semester after semester, students speak to his effectiveness as a teacher, his talent for mentoring and his impact on their career choices. Professor Sargon’s composition students describe him as an inspiring, scholarly and caring teacher, and he is also known for his teaching outside the classroom and for his impact on the greater community through such activities as his pre-concert lectures for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, a decade of operalogues for the Dallas Opera, the Godbey Lecture Series and SMU’s informal course for adults. His high visibility in the community as an educator speaks to his commitment to teaching.”
Warden added, “Sargon’s faculty colleagues cite his knowledge of languages, poetry, music theory and music history, his organizational skills and his effectiveness as a caring and giving teacher.” Former students who have benefited from his extensive knowledge of opera and art song are working at or have performed at the Chicago Lyric Opera; the New York City Opera; the operas of Cleveland, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Houston, Paris and La Scala; the Metropolitan Opera; and even on Broadway.
“Sargon’s teaching is intimately connected to his excellence as an artist,” Warden said. “His work as a composer is respected by musicians, performers and academicians. His compositions for horn, flute, clarinet and his first symphony have been the subjects of four doctoral dissertations at different universities. In the summer of 2008, he will be honored with a concert of his works at the national convention of the American Conference of Cantors to be held in San Francisco.
“Simon Sargon is the model of the artist/teacher. The university and the Division of Music are fortunate to have him on our faculty.”